Pathway to Japanese Literature
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| Original Title | 妻恋行 |
|---|---|
| Author | 三好 十郎 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a desolate mountain village, anticipation hangs thick as aging farmer Kasatarō and his weary daughter Kumi wait endlessly at a sun-scorched bus stop. They clutch a letter promising the arrival of Jinji—a Tokyo banker and Kumi’s prospective groom—whose return sparks rival claims of kinship from Kasatarō and scheming district chief Rokuheita. Beneath their bickering lies desperation: debts, failing crops, and silkworm markets bleed the village dry. Meanwhile, outcast Toyo, a young mother branded by scandal, quietly prepares to sell herself to a distant brothel to survive, her quiet dignity contrasting with the men’s greed. A wandering kamishibai performer, burdened by loss and a fragile infant, mirrors the community’s fractured hopes. As mistaken identities and drunken quarrels erupt under the fading summer sun, the promised savior remains elusive, leaving only exhaustion and the echo of empty bus horns. The villagers’ frayed dreams unravel against a backdrop of cliffs and distant mountains—a world where salvation is always just one missed connection away. |
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